Filler cream compositions for sandwich cookies are generally comprised of sucrose or sucrose in combination with other sugars, flavorings, and oils or fats. Variations of the ingredients of a filler cream composition can lead to significantly different properties in a filler cream. Sugar combinations can cause a filler cream to be too sweet for eating in large quantities or, if artificial sweeteners are used, the filler cream can be too bitter for consumer acceptance.
The shortening, oil or fat used in filler creams can be a single oil or fat or a mixture of oils or fats. For purposes of this invention any shortening, oil or fat or mixtures thereof used in a filler composition is identified by the term "oleaginous composition". Desirable oleaginous compositions used in filler creams for sandwich cookies are firm, but soft or "spreadable" at ordinary storage temperatures. The oleaginous compositions must have good whipping and creaming properties that develop a filler cream with a light, consistent texture during whipping and aeration process steps. Also, desirable oleaginous compositions provide a palatable flavor with little or no after taste and produce a filler cream that dissolves rapidly at body temperature when consumed. Oleaginous compositions used in commercial filler creams must exhibit good shelf storage properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,884 to Lewis III et al and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,711,788, 4,834,991, and 4,865,859 to Porcello et al disclose filler cream compositions which exhibit "quick get away" characteristics. The solid fat index (SFI) profile of the fat as well as the amount of aeration are used to control the rate at which the filler cream melts in the mouth. According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,884 emulsifiers aid in the incorporation of air into the cream as well as the dispersion of the cream in the mouth.
In the preparation of filler creams fat "traps" the air that is introduced into the cream in a scraped surface heat exchanger such as a Votator. The "trapped air" in the cream makes the creams less dense thereby producing a lighter mouthfeel in the final product. Reducing the fat content of a filler cream may, prior to aeration, increase the specific gravity of the composition to 1.4 or more. Fat also provides flavor and tenderness to the final product. Methods for making low-fat filler creams must somehow compensate for the multiple functions of fat when reducing or eliminating fat.
Admixing a polyol such as glycerine or sorbitol with a fat or oil to increase the viscosity of the fat or oil is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,664,927, 4,812,318, 4,980,192 and 5,246,727. However, use of a polyol to increase the air holding ability of reduced fat filler creams is not disclosed. In addition, it has been found that replacing a portion of the fat in a filler cream with glycerine to reduce the fat content in the product results in lump formation, during votation. Also, the glycerine separates from the fat, and the flow of the creme in the votator is impeded even in the presence of flow improvers such as lecithin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,942 to Hirschey et al. discloses an aerated reduced-fat creme comprising starch and vegetable shortening. The starch and shortening, it is disclosed, will not form an aerated cream unless a polyglycerol ester and an alkali stearoyl lactylate are used in combination as an emulsifier. However, this creme will not function properly as a "sandwich" material between two base cakes over extended periods of time because of the high water content. If this filling were used as "sandwich" material the moisture in the filling would migrate to the base cakes thereby causing the base cakes to become "soft" and more prone to breaking and the filling to become hard.
The present invention provides an aerated filler cream for making reduced fat sandwich cookies and other foods that is soft at room temperature yet is structurally stable during simulated adverse transport conditions. The filler creams exhibit the taste and specific gravity of their high-fat counterparts. However, the filler creams of the present invention have the added advantage of having substantially lower fat contents, for example from 10% to 50% by weight less fat, preferably at least 20%, most preferably at least 25% by weight less fat.